Birthday smash.<\/p>\n
A Florida man irrationally claimed he was celebrating his birthday as justification for destroying an NYC taxi<\/a> in Manhattan following the Knicks\u2019 historic Game 4 comeback<\/a> in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n Saul Vargas took a plea deal Thursday for a disorderly conduct charge after he was caught shirtless on video jumping on the hood and roof of the yellow cab and smashing its front windshield as thousands of Knicks fans flooded the streets near Madison Square Garden on June 11.<\/p>\n Saul Vargas of St. Cloud, Florida, took a plea deal of disorderly conduct after he destroyed an NYC taxi after a Knicks NBA Finals win on June 11, 2026. FreedomNewsTV<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to be 21,\u201d Vargas complained as he exited a Manhattan courtroom, according to the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019m 21. I was being a kid, I was being stupid,\u201d he added, admitting it was a lame excuse for the destruction he caused. \u201cIt was my birthday, I was trying to have fun but that\u2019s not a good excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n Vargas conveyed his regret to cabbie Noueddine Bitat, who fell victim to his antics.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the taxi driver, I do apologize. It\u2019s something no driver should have to go through,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bitat, 59, was driving down Seventh Avenue at 36th Street around 12:30 a.m. when the mob attacked the vehicle and ripped him from the cab. <\/p>\n \u201cThe crowd came and they attacked him. They grabbed him out of the cab. They grabbed him by the neck. Someone punched him in his head,\u201d Bitat said through a translator at the time.<\/p>\n Saul Vargas, 21, appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for his arraignment on June 16, 2026. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post<\/p>\n Vargas, joined other rowdy fans on the car for the celebration \u2014 including a man wearing a keffiyeh and another holding a Palestinian flag, perched atop the destroyed cab. FreedomNewsTV<\/p>\n \u201cThey shattered the windshield. They opened the front doors and even the trunks. They were yelling, \u2018Knicks in five! Knicks in five!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Vargas, of St. Cloud, Fla., joined other rowdy fans on the car for the celebration \u2014 including a man wearing a keffiyeh and another holding a Palestinian flag, perched atop the destroyed cab.<\/p>\n Bitat suffered a diabetic attack and was left with \u201ca lot of trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n Vargas was ordered to pay $500 in restitution as part of his plea deal. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post<\/p>\n Bitat, who is from Algeria, said he was not planning on returning to the chauffeur gig following the beatdown and was \u201clucky to be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just that from what happened, he couldn\u2019t believe doing a job like this could be so risky.\u201d<\/p>\n Vargas was ordered to pay $500 in restitution as part of his plea deal.<\/p>\n The Knickerbockers, who went on to win the NBA Finals<\/a> in Game 5 two nights later, had erased a record 29-point deficit in the closing minutes of the game to ignite the mass celebration.<\/p>\n